Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed oceanfront home sells for $22 million in California

2023-02-27T17:05:00-05:00

Frank Lloyd Wright’s California seaside project, Mrs. Clinton Walker House, has sold for $22 million after being listed on the market in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The 1,400-square-foot home was completed in 1952 for a wealthy widower residing in one of California's sought-after surf meccas.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016 and features a copper-shingled roof with the home's shape designed to resemble a ship’s bow breaking the waves overlooking the point towards nearby Pebble Beach. Thomas Church was also responsible for the landscaping at the site in his pioneering California Style.

The Journal quoted a 1948 letter from homeowner Della Walker to Wright (in which she reportedly references Fallingwater as an inspiration) as saying: “I am a woman living alone. I wish protection from the wind and privacy from the road and a house as enduring as the rocks but as transparent and charming as the waves and delicate ...

The benefits of roundabouts, explained by the mayor of the Indiana town that now has 102 of them

2017-01-04T16:20:00-05:00

In Carmel, driving around in circles isn’t a symptom of being lost; it’s a way of life. Despite its small size, the Indiana city has more roundabouts than any other burg in the U.S. [...] The thing most people don’t know is how much money is saved by converting traffic signals into roundabouts. Our city engineer’s office has found that on average, roundabouts in Carmel have cost $250,000 less to build than signalized intersections and they are much less expensive to maintain [...].

While Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard talks about "unheralded benefits" of roundabouts (and the potential impact of Trump's infrastructure plans on his city's 102 roundabouts) in the CityLab article, reader douglasss points out an often overlooked benefit of this approach to intersection design over the conventional 4x4 species in the comment section:

"An added benefit of roundabouts is that (if they are spaced close enough) they eliminate the need for center turning lanes, thus narrower roads. Instead of needing a center turning lane to make a left hand turn, you just go to the next roundabout and turn around. This also allows for mid road tree lined medians, which center turning lanes destroy."

Archinect - News

Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed oceanfront home sells for $22 million in California

The benefits of roundabouts, explained by the mayor of the Indiana town that now has 102 of them